Yeah, it takes some extra time and costs a bit of extra cash. And, if done incorrectly, your shirt or jacket can sometimes look totally out of proportion.

For example, if your shirt has buttons, you may find your last button sitting right at the hem, which is as strange as wearing a shirt that’s too long in the first place.

But if you can find a tailor you trust, you won’t have any of these problems, and the cost of alterations will be money well spent.

Tip #2: Avoid Skinny Fit Clothes

Skinny fit clothes aren’t timeless classics, so what does that make them?

They’re part of fashion trends and not what we usually recommend to anyone – especially not stocky dudes.

If your pants or shirts are too tight, they’ll highlight your size in all the wrong places. There’s nothing wrong with your size, but just like with anyone else, you want to show it off in the right light.

And there’s the issue of comfort, too.

Now, you don’t need to go to the opposite extreme and start wearing baggy clothes. That doesn’t work for anyone.

We recommend looking into slim fit if you haven’t already. The taper below the knee cuts out the extra fabric around the calf which can slim your entire silhouette a surprising amount.

You may find that that the best pants and jeans for stocky guys are “athletic” and “slim straight” cuts.

The same thing holds true for shirts. You may never have considered yourself a slim guy, but the fact is that many classic and traditional fit shirts have too much fabric around the torso.

If you’ve got a muscular build, give a slim cut shirt a shot. They taper down from the chest through the hips. That little extra trim can work wonders.

Tip #3: Tuck Your Shirt In

If you don’t have any shirts that are the right length, the easiest fix is just to tuck it in.